Panther softball powers to doubleheader sweep of Salukis

Friday, April 14

Cedar Falls, Iowa

2 PM

University of Northern Iowa

24-11, 0

Southern Illinois University

29-9, 0

Southern Illinois

Northern Iowa

Panther softball powers to doubleheader sweep of Salukis

4/14/2023 8:56:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

UNI hits 12 home runs in two-game sweep of SIU, out-hitting the Salukis 25-6.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI's offense combined for a jaw-dropping 12 home runs on Friday afternoon as the Panthers completed a doubleheader sweep of the Southern Illinois Salukis in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex.

Trailing for just one half inning the entire day, the Panther bat came alive with power to give the purple and gold their 24th and 25th victories of the season, aided by stellar pitching performances from both Kailyn Packard and Samantha Heyer. UNI also improves to 14-1 in league play.

GAME 1
Southern Illinois struck first on an unearned run scored by Elizabeth Warwick off an RBI double by Jackie Lis in the opening frame, followed by a two-run RBI on a Rylie Hamilton single. The Panthers quickly responded in the bottom of the first with Alexis Pupillo launching a two-run home run to cut into the Saluki lead. Mya Dodge would tie the game at three runs a piece in the cleanup spot with a solo shot two batters later.

With Packard pitching a scoreless second frame, UNI put the foot on the gas as it racked up 5 runs in the bottom of the second, striking first on a three-run triple by Dodge, and RBI doubles by both Addison McElrath and Taylor Hogan, giving the Panthers an 8-3 lead. SIU would respond with an unearned run with two outs in the top of the third to cut UNI's lead in half.

The Panthers' continued to flex their muscles in the bottom of the third with 4 runs off 5 hits against Saluki starting pitcher Madi Eberle, with Kylee Sanders and McElrath both going deep with solo shots. Dodge would join in the action with a two-run blast to score Parks and extend the lead out to 12-4.

UNI's home run showcase continued into the fourth inning with Daryn Lamprecht clearing the fences before a Sanders walk set up another mult-run home run for Pupillo. Parks notched another extra base hit for the Panthers, allowing Dodge to send her third home run of the game out of the ballpark, giving the purple and gold a commanding 17-4 lead.

Southern Illinois would only manage a pair of hits for the remainder of the day's opening game, pushing across a two-out run in the fifth inning, as UNI cruised to a 17-5 win. Pitching a complete game, Packard ended the afternoon with 6 strikeouts and just one earned run. In addition to Dodge's 4-for-4 game and 8 RBI's, Hogan also finished the game with 4 hits and a run batted in as UNI matched its second-high run total of the season. Pupillo 3 hits totaled for 4 RBIS, with McElrath driving in a pair of runs.

GAME 2
UNI's defense continued to show its strength against one of the MVC's top hitting teams in game two, allowing just one hit and one error. Parks put the Panthers on the board with one out in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run.

The purple and gold struck again in the third frame with Pupillo leading off the inning with a solo shot over the fence for a 2-0 advantage. With two outs, McElrath would reach on a double and scored on an RBI single by Hogan to push the Panther lead to 3-0.

McElrath, who entered the day with just one home run on the season, sent her third blast of the day into left-center field after a leadoff walk by Dodge, giving UNI a 5-0 advantage. The Panthers would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as Dodge put the final touches on an impressive power-hitting day with her fourth home run of the afternoon, driving in Pupillo after a hit by pitch, securing the 7-0 shutout for UNI.

In a battle of ace pitchers in game two, Heyer dominated the SIU lineup by retiring the Salukis in order in five innings, including the first three frames. The right-hander would also strike out the side in both the third and sixth innings en route to a one-hit shutout.

UP NEXT
The Panthers will return to Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex for the finale of their three-game series with the Salukis on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT, weather permitting. Should Saturday's game be postponed, the Panthers will attempt to salvage game three on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.